TRIP REPORT- JIM HORNER CX EDMONTON, ALBERTA
Another good weekend of racing has concluded as Saskatchewan Cycling sent their high performance athletes to Edmonton to compete in the Jim Horner Cyclo-cross Grand Prix, October 6-8, 2007.
Dave Brooks, Andrew Thomas, Stephen Cooley and I we selected to represent Saskatchewan in three races taking place over the weekend: ITT on Saturday; UCI race on Sunday; and Oktoberfest on Monday. The individual time trial was a one-lap race on the course that we would be racing on Sunday. The course included one sketchy descent, two mandatory run ups and a number of off camber corners that were sure to take out riders at will.
In the Junior race, Stephen finished up in a time of 7:15. (I apologize for any errors in time, they are all from memory), which was good for 3rd place. Dave, Andrew and I all finished within a second of each other at about 6:57, which is pretty wild considering it was an ITT. Overall, we ended up in 6th, 7th and 8th respectively, which we were all fairly happy with. Sunday’s race promised to be a good one being that there were valuable UCI points up for grabs. It all seemed like blur, but the start of the race was through the roof as riders were fighting for each spot, literally. Andy received an (unintentional) elbow to the face on one the run ups by ex-Sask rider Shawn Bunnin, but like they say, “That’s racing”. Andy had a good start by getting in the middle of the pack and keeping his position. Dave and myself were towards the back for the first few laps but started to make our way up to Andy mid pack. I was able to make contact with a group of three including Andy, with Dave just behind us he couldn’t quite make the gap. As the race went on, guys in my group kept crashing, then catching back on, then falling, it was pretty amusing. Andy and I ended up riding in together getting the 10th and 11th spot, while Dave was just off the pace about 45seconds and grabbing the 12th spot. Stephen had a solid race coming in 3rd in the Junior race, 10 seconds behind. The consensus after the first two races was “Man, these Alberta riders don’t mess around when it comes to cyclo-cross.” It seemed like the norm was having a spare cross bike in the pits and ultra light carbon fibre wheels, two things none of us had.
Monday’s race was equally hard, if not harder with a record number of entries at 107 and a deep Elite men’s field. This course had a slightly different lay out in that it had no run ups and a ton of grassy, slippery, off camber corners and one double barrier dismount. Again, the start was crazy as riders were extremely aggressive in getting good pack position going into the rollercoaster of corners. The three of us were relatively close for the first few laps, staying close to the next wheel trying not to loose it. I found my legs for a lap, which moved me up a few spots to a small group of three riders, which included ex-Sasky Robin Bailie. Andrew was not far back with another group, and Dave decided it was time to throw the parachute and retire from the race. After a long, pressure filled season, racing in October can be very hard to put forth 50 minutes of mental and physical pain and I think Dave was feeling it. Andy and I finished up 14th and 13th respectively. In the Cat 3 race, Stephen made his way through the pack and finished 2nd which was wicked to see.
Overall, the weekend went fairly smooth and efficiently thanks to the riders and Ron for his great support. After evaluating the racing this weekend, the one thing that jumped out at me was the level of cyclo-cross racing in Alberta. The clubs and riders have taken it to a new level as far as course design, technical skills, and fitness. Saskatchewan is not far off and I think population size has a huge impact on the development of the sport.
Until next time, keep fit and fun!
Brad “likes riding his bike” Kerr